F1 2011 The Racing Line

[Samfordia]

I currently have my racing line set to corners only but I'm keen to leave this assist behind and have no racing line at all.

Having watched many videos on the F1 games I find it amazing how people can memorise a track so well. I'm fairly sure that I would struggle to do this well enough without a cornering assist such as a racing line.

How would you go about this conversion? Just go out there and learn from your mistakes as you go along?

How do you retain all the info for all tracks when you're online and are unsure as to which track will be used next?

Any tips on going from using the racing line to none at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TGApples]

Switch it off and you'll learn very quickly. Once you've done 50+ laps around a track it's amazing how well things stick. Once you've learnt a few it's a lot easier to learn the others as you get used to it.

For braking points try to pick something out on the side of the track, or on the track itself (lines, braking boards, bridges, kerbs). Most big braking zones require you to brake at ~100m. When learning a track start off like this, and move forward or backward depending on whether you find yourself braking too early or too late. Some you'll find you need to brake around the 150m board (end of long straight in China, for example), and there are quite a few at ~60-70m.

If they aren't large braking zones often you have to play it by ear. That's just practise.

 

[Gav Elias]

Also, in career mode, you will pick it all up very quickly in free practice sessions. That's what I found.

I turned all assists off and now don't have racing line, traction control, brake assist etc and i use manual gears. You very quickly learn the track, and not only that but if you use manual gears you'll also start remember what gear for what turn etc too.

 

[Mark Greenall]

+1
sound advice, i struggled at 1st but now if i don't know the track i usually get it within ten laps. belive it or not you will be quicker without it.
good luck

 

[Craig Whitmore]

The best tip is, to switch it off and leave it off, for ALL tracks.

As you learn how to drive each track, you'll refine each corner, working out the best lines. If a particular corner stumps you, watch some game video's of these corners/tracks and you will get hints on how to take the corner better.

Another way to help you learn. Assuming that you have a setup for each track prepared already, do a 20% season or gp, perhaps do race only, set the AI to easy or med & damage set to off (important, as you will crash), set the assist to your normal and just pile through each track. It doesn't matter that you finish last or what ever, what you are to be concerned with is track time, not track position, i.e. time spent driving each track with no race line, not your finish position.

Before you know it, you'll be wondering why you ever used the brake line in the first place. Good luck.

 

[Samfordia]

That all sounds like great advice.

I will set up a full race only season on GP and smash through them as suggested.

Maybe I should report back?

 

[taz1004]

This is how I did it first time I drove each track. In proving grounds, I run couple laps with racing line on. Then turn the racing line off but turn on the ghost. Then follow the ghost around. Don't try to be fast. It usually takes about 6 laps to learn all the braking points. Then work on going faster.

You will go off sometimes but don't get discouraged by that. Just remember to learn from your mistakes.

 

[Igor Tomičić]

Racing line is nice to have while learning new track, but after switching it off you'll notice it wasn't actually assisting you. With racing line on, you don't learn the track, you just follow the arrows and brake when they turn red. Without it, you'll actually start to learn the track, various ways to go through a corner, braking points based on landmarks etc. It's a much more enjoyable way to drive.

 

[Ben Eastman]

Personally I used no lines in 2010.
In 2011 I am using them in my 1st season, however I still use my eyes to pick out braking zones via markers and am using the line only as a speed reference and to learn the new tracks.

 

[Veselko Lakobrija]

Damn.... i used it for corners only. Was convinced it helped me. And some comments here make more then sence. Season 4 = line OFF!!!

 

[Rocky Burney]

Practice, practice, practice, and then when you think you've got it figured out, practice some more. I bet I ran a thousand laps at Monaco in 2010 JUST practicing, but I was by God determined to learn it, and I feel like it has paid off. I can run a 50% race now and finish with the front wing that I started with (well...barring any AI "moving over to let me go" maneuvers). Start at the track you know the best, turn the racing line off, and just start making laps. Don't try to be fast, just make laps. Like someone already said, look for a physical marker at each corner, and just make...well you get the idea. Keep at it and you will have every braking point on the track memorized before you know it, and I bet you will be faster because you can focus more on stringing corners together and driving the track as a whole instead of just following a line looking for it to change color so you know when to brake. Good luck with it and don't get discouraged...turning off an assist and learning that you don't really need it is a satisfying experience!

 

[Michael Brown]

http://www.drivingfast.net/techniques/racing-line.htm#axzz1bpZtfm6X I think you should take a look at this article to understand the racing line and how to drive it. It certainly helped me!

 

[Craig Whitmore]

As already stated, without the line, you'll be concentrating on the actual corner rather than the line, which if you've ever tried switching back on after not using it for so long, it just gets in the way and is annoying.

Another benefit to driving without the line is that if the line is obscured by other cars, which it so often is, you're buggered.

 

[Chibi]

try doing laps without the racing line at brazil. i found that the easiest place to practice. or maybe canada but i think canada is a little too easy australia is a good one to

 

[scotters]

+1
sound advice, i struggled at 1st but now if i don't know the track i usually get it within ten laps. belive it or not you will be quicker without it.
good luck

I'll agree with you there. I played with corners only racing line for a start and i think the braking points on the racing line are far to early and by the time I hit the corner I was going way to slow!

 

[Samfordia]

Well, I've not been doing too bad really. I stuck about 7/8 tracks down in GP mode, mainly the ones I know best. I found it quite liberating at first but then it immediately became difficult when I hit a track without the distance boards at the side of the track. I obviously then started to look for landmarks which served just as well.

One of the first things I noticed was that I had to change my style of mini map so I could actually see which bends were coming up.

I'm not too sure how well I would perform if I was on a quick mode multiplayer and then had to try and remember what I had learnt from a track I hadn't been on for a few days. I doubt I would be able to remember that I have to break at the shadow on corner 6.

It can be very satisfying to learn a track in this way, although I still need to improve enough to actually beat my time trial records.

I will certainly be sticking with it and seeing how well I can do.

 

[taz1004]

Ya know... on most of the tracks, the dark tire/skid marks almost serves as racing line. I use'em for turn in points on many tracks.

Also, use flashbacks in practice. If you don't take a corner just right, use flashback to go back and do it again. I found this a great way to master a troublesome corners.

 

[Samfordia]

Ah, flashbacks, I hadn't thought of that. I've never had them on so it didn't occur to me to use them.

I was trying New Delhi last night and found it very difficult indeed. I was all over the place. I found it hard to know when to break at all for most the the bends. Practice, practice, practice I suppose.

 

[My993C2]

Any tips on going from using the racing line to none at all would be greatly appreciated.

This is a relatively old thread but one of the best things to do to learn the racing line is to watch how the real world drivers navigate the track. Check out the official F1 site for some examples for all the tracks http://www.formula1.com/video/onboard/.

Their braking points will differ (so don't get too hung up on that aspect) but by watching them you can learn good habits. I never drive with these artificial racing lines turned on because there is a tendency to chase the line. Sometimes you will need to get off of the racing line (traffic or possibly a wet track) but with enough practice finding the racing line on your own without these artificial aids becomes second nature.

 

[MARS3300]

Not to boast but the last I used the racing line was in Electronic Art's F1 2000. The only use is for demonstration for noobs or GFs, like "there's where you're supposed to turn." As a driver, the visual line becomes more of a distraction, something else to watch-out for. There are the other cars on the course and then there are the corners and straights to "watch-out" for. Do you want to get better at this game? or at least enjoy it? Take the time to learn the track. Learn the distance from turn to turn, the width of the track, the kerbs, and the straights. Most importantly, learn the timing between these points within the track. I can usually tell when I am "1.5 secs" off. You can "get it" in 10 laps. Once you do, you will get to study the other cars, your tires, your fuel, KERS, DRS, and drafting. Eventually you will know more about the turn to out-brake the opponent so you can pass him. You will learn where you can go on the track to deter being overtaken. This is where all the fun is. Then you get to qualify and race.